Many of us in America have a mentality to manage the effect of a problem, rather than the cause of the problem. For example, how many of us take a blood pressure pill, rather than changing our diet and exercise habits? How many of us wear glasses, rather than have corrective laser surgery? I’m guilty. Here’s another one, continuing on in the same stressful groove rather than making small changes? In this article, I will discuss baby steps for small changes to the cause of stress. Baby steps are small, yet offer very effective results.
The first Baby Step is to understand that you did not become burned out in a day, and you will not recover in a day. Baby steps take time to accomplish. Be okay with knowing there is a process and knowing this will help you get better. The acceptance of this idea is critical to healing. As we live in a “Have it now” time and age, we must remember the old saying is true; good things come to those who wait.
When reducing stress, knowing what is in your power to change is important, so the next two baby steps focus on discovering patterns of reason and reaction. Here is something we can do. Baby Step 2 is to start creating a list. Most smart phones are capable of creating lists. When feeling stressed, tell your phone to remember (or grab a pen and paper) what caused the stress, your physical and emotional feelings around the stress (i.e. Too many people calling my name at one time, I was frustrated, my shoulders and neck tightened), how you responded (I clinched my fist and blew a deep breath out) and what you did in the moment to make yourself feel better (nothing, work was busy) (helpguide.org). Keep in mind, you may notice the stress reaction without noticing the stressor. Watch for physical cues, such as, headaches, tightening of shoulders, or sweaty palms. Ask “What was I doing when I noticed these, or right before these occurred (hbr.org)?
Not surprisingly, Baby Step 3 is to begin analyzation. At the end of each week, go back over the list. After a few weeks, you will start to see patterns. You will be able to see that you feel stressed when certain situations come about. These situations are stress triggers. You might notice multiple small triggers which contribute to an overall buildup. These triggers could be external (i.e. demanding task, interactions with certain people), while others could be internal (i.e. not wanting to fail at a task, desiring to control something you can’t) (mayoclinic.org). Noticing these, and the occurrence of such, will allow you to actively choose your reaction and coping mechanisms (hbr.org).
We hope you have enjoyed the 1st out of 3 articles on this subject. There are lots of different resources available to help you realize your stress triggers, many of them you can find simply by googling or binging. Installment 2 out of 3 will explore our reactions, and benefits of those. This article will be published in December, so keep watching elijahstree.org for that. Remember that we are here to give those facing stress and burnout a chance to renew their connection with God, be Restored by Him, so they can Return to their calling. If you would like to nominate a person for a retreat, simply click here. If you are not signed up for our newsletter make sure you do that, as the last newsletter of the year will soon be coming out. To sign up, click here. And as always ~ To GOD be the Glory!